Katainen’s Next Mission: Working With the U.K. on EU Overhauls

By

Valentina Pop

May 12, 2015 9:05 am ET

Within the European Commission, Jyrki Katainen is known as the “roadshow vice president,” President Jean-Claude Juncker’s apostle travelling throughout Europe and spreading the word about an investment fund projected to unlock€315 billion in investments.

But with the fund likely to be set up in September, Mr. Katainen has already set his eyes on his next mission: working with the Brits on European Union reform ahead of their in-or-out referendum.

“We don’t know what to expect from the negotiations, because we don’t know exactly what kind of issues they would like to raise. Obviously, [the] internal market is very important for the U.K. , so I can imagine that this is one of the issues which they will want to influence in the future,” Mr. Katainen told Real Time Brussels.

As the commission’s vice president for “jobs, growth, investment and competitiveness,” Mr. Katainen said he sees the deepening of the EU’s single market as a project where Britain could “play a crucial role” — and even create some pro-Europe momentum.